Field Visit to Learn about Drug Use-Session Guide

PURPOSE AND CONTENT

The purpose of this field visit is to observe what the system of care is like in local health facilities, and to identify and examine possible sources of data about drug use that are available at the facility or in the setting you are visiting.

Your group will be assigned to visit one or more local public health facilities, either a district hospital, district medical stores, health center, or health sub-center. In addition each group should plan to visit at least one private retail outlet that sells drugs.

OBJECTIVES

This unit will develop your ability to:

1. Identify potential quantitative and qualitative sources of data available about drug use in a variety of local health facilities.

2. Plan the logistical aspects of the data collection process in these facilities.

PREPARATION

Preparation was completed as part of Exercise Three in the session Learning About a Drug Use Problem.

ACTIVITY ONE

Visit to Local Health Facility

Your group leader should introduce the group members to the facility staff and explain the purpose of the visit. Your group leader should fill in the information on Worksheet One that identifies the members of the team and the facility visited.

After initial discussions have been held, you may wish to divide up into smaller groups and visit different areas of the facility to identify possible sources of data about drug use. For example, in a health center, you might all wish to visit the patient registration area, waiting area, consultation room, medical records room (if any), and dispensary.

You are expected to identify sources of quantitative and qualitative data. For quantitative data, you are looking for both historical data on drug use (records of various types) and opportunities for collecting concurrent data, for example, by intercepting patients after they receive treatment. For qualitative data, you are looking for both people and opportunities. Who is there at the facility that you might talk to and learn from? What would you have to do to talk to them? What opportunities are there to observe different aspects of the operation of the health facility that could inform you about problems of drug use?

Use Worksheet Two and Worksheet Three to help guide your activities. These are similar to the worksheets you prepared during the session on Learning About Drug Use.

Use Worksheet Two as the basis for assembling a description of quantitative data. If a particular type of data is available at the facility, briefly describe what it contains, where it is located, and how it is organized. Use Worksheet Three as a record of the possible sources of qualitative data. Identify in Part 1 the types and numbers of people who are available at the facility, and in Part 2, opportunities for learning about specific factors that underlie certain drug use problems.

You do not need to rush. You will have enough time to examine the data sources carefully so that you can report clearly in the afternoon. Take the time to talk to staff and patients if you can do so without disrupting the functioning of the facility. For this report, imagine that you have to explain to someone who has never been to the facility how they should collect the information.

At the end of the visit, please regroup and spend time thanking the staff members for their assistance.

AS A GROUP, YOU SHOULD ALSO DRAFT A THANK-YOU LETTER FOR THE VISIT WHICH CAN BE SENT AFTER YOUR RETURN

WORKSHEET 1

Identification of Sites Visited

Name of Site Visited:

Date Visited: ___/___/___

Visitors:

Name of Person in Charge:

Address:

Telephone Number:

WORKSHEET 2

Quantitative Sources of Data to Learn Drug Use

DATA SOURCE	AVAILABILITY
	NO	YES (DESCRIBE)

Drug Supply or Drug Consumption
Drug import records / manufacturing records
Facility drug supply orders / delivery receipts
Pharmacy stock cards / pharmacy ledger book
Pharmacy sales receipts / patient co-payment records
Other (describe):

DATA SOURCE	AVAILABILITY
	NO	YES (DESCRIBE)
Prescribing Practice
Previous surveys of drug prescribing
Patient registers (with data on prescribed drugs)
Clinical record book / provider treatment log
Prescription receipts / pharmacy dispensing records
Patient medical records (with data on prescribed drugs)
Other (describe):

DATA SOURCE	AVAILABILITY
	NO	YES (DESCRIBE)

Distribution of Health Problems
Routine health information system (with reports by diagnosis)
Patient registers / treatment logs (with complaint or diagnosis)
Community morbidity surveys
Other (describe):

DATA SOURCE	AVAILABILITY
	NO	YES (DESCRIBE)
D. Community Drug Use
Household drug use surveys
Records of private practitioners
Drug receipts at private pharmacies
Drug sales data at health facilities or private pharmacies
Other (describe):

WORKSHEET 3

Qualitative Sources of Data to Learn About Drug Use (Part 1)

DATA SOURCE	HOW MANY	DESCRIBE HOW FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR DRUG USE COULD BE STUDIED
Health facility administrators
Prescribers at health facilities
Dispensers at health facilities
Private practitioners
Employees at private pharmacies
Current patients
Community members
Other (describe):

WORKSHEET 3

Qualitative Sources of Data to Learn About Drug Use (Part 2)

FACTOR EFFECTING DRUG USE	HOW TO LEARN ABOUT THIS FACTOR AT THIS FACILITY
Quality of the diagnostic process
Therapeutic knowledge
Communication between patients and providers about treatment
Patient satisfaction with treatment
Influence of drug marketing and industry representatives
Peer norms and local standards of care
Influence of the work environment (workload, drug availability, etc.)

COMMENTS:

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Session Guide Field Visit to Identify Data Sources: Learning About Drug Use

Session Guide
Field Visit to Identify Data Sources: Learning About Drug Use